U.S. total farm tractor sales rose 22.7 percent in April compared to 2020, which was the first month of the current sales growth trend, while U.S. self-propelled combine sales fell 3.2 percent. U.S. tractor sales grew across every segment, with the biggest gains in the 100+hp segment, up 29.2 percent. The midsize 40-100hp units were up 28.8 percent, and the sub-40hp class is up 20.8 percent. Four-wheel-drive units grew 15.1 percent, putting them up 12 percent year-to-date.

For Canada, April monthly tractor and combine sales were positive across all segments, with the 4WD segment nearly doubling, up 93.3 percent to 201 units sold, while total farm tractor sales were up 72.3 percent to 3,671 units sold. Self-propelled combines also grew 23.1 percent.

“April was the month we were watching to see how this growth trend would look once it hit the official twelve-month mark,” said Curt Blades, Senior Vice President of Ag Services at the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.

“Seeing the larger row-crop units leading the way in segment gains shows the pull rising commodity prices have been having on equipment sales.”

The “why” behind record-high AG equipment sales: the floor to Curt Blades

“We’re operating in a very interesting market right now,” says Curt Blades, Senior VP of Ag Services for the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM).

So far, in the first quarter of 2021, total farm tractor unit sales are up more than 50 percent in the U.S., and nearly 60 percent in Canada, according to the AEM Ag Tractor Combine Report released monthly.

“For the last twelve months, we’ve seen a dramatic rise in under-40-horsepower, or small tractor sales in North America, both U.S. and Canada,”

says Blades. “This is due largely to a lot of the industries that have done very well during the pandemic, like luxury items or things that have to do with the home.”

Small tractors fall into that category as well.

Blades says the small tractors that have been spiking are largely going to the suburbs with larger lots to help homeowners haul rocks and dirt, work around trees, and overall improve the property. However, starting later in 2020, larger row-crop and articulated 4WD tractors have also enjoyed increasing sales success.

One reason has been the gradual increase, over the past five years, of the average age of the ag fleet in both the U.S. and Canada. However, with commodity prices increasing, and trade difficulties starting to ease, not only is the replacement market doing well, but farmers are upgrading their operations with newer technology.

“We’re seeing an increase in commodity prices. We’re seeing some of the uncertainty of trade wane,” says Blades. “As a result, people are willing to invest a little more in their farming operations and we’re seeing that reflected in capital equipment.”

There has been some difference in the past 12 months between sales in the U.S. and Canada, however, Blades says it’s typical for one market to “lead” the other.

“In this current recovery, we’ve seen the U.S. has been leading Canada,”

says Blades. “But both markets are particularly strong right now on both sides of the border.”

Blades does advise that equipment inventories having been reduced significantly through these sales trends. However, he says dealers are being proactive, especially when it comes to keeping parts for their service centers in stock, but farmers looking to buy new machines may have to order several months ahead of expected delivery.

“I think you’re seeing a lot of optimism out there. And that optimism is leading to a lot of new equipment purchases, but also farmers thinking about what their businesses are going to look like into the future,” says Blades.

“It is an interesting time that we’re operating in. Tractor sales are strong, commodity sales are particularly good, and optimism is at an all-time high in the farming community.”

Download the last AEM Market Data analysis at the following link:

U.S. report

Canada report

Source: AEM

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Doosan Bobcat North America announced plans for a $70 million expansion of its Statesville, N.C., manufacturing facility. The company plans to construct an additional 580,000 square feet for its manufacturing operations, which will create 250 new, full-time jobs over the next five years in Iredell County. The construction is expected to begin July 2021, with full project completion expected in May 2022.

The announcement comes on the heels of an earlier $11 million facility upgrade at Statesville, which was completed in January. This new investment will enable the company to meet the growing demand for all Doosan Bobcat products, including its Doosan Portable Power equipment and the growing line of Bobcat grounds maintenance and landscaping industry products.

“This level of investment demonstrates our commitment to North Carolina, which has been an important manufacturing location for us since 2008. We are dedicated to the continued expansion of our compact equipment line to help empower our customers to accomplish more, and our Statesville location has been an important part of this success,”

said Mike Ballweber, president of Doosan Bobcat North America.

Doosan Bobcat’s $70 million investment in the Statesville facility through construction of the new expansion spaces and equipment purchases will grow the floorplan from nearly 500,000 square feet today, to more than one million square feet when complete. The company’s acquisition of 68 acres adjacent to the current, 92-acre campus will allow for the addition of 500,000 square feet of attached manufacturing space and 80,000 square feet of attached warehouse and distribution space.

“We are thrilled that Doosan Bobcat is once again choosing to expand its operations in Statesville. For more than a decade, Doosan Portable Power has been a part of our business community and partner with the city of Statesville, and this investment strengthens and builds upon their commitment to Statesville,”

said Mayor Costi Kutteh, City of Statesville.

The investment will also bring additional employment opportunities and economic growth to the area. The Statesville operation’s current team of 400 full-time employees will grow substantially through this project, which will result in the creation of 42 new jobs in the first two years, and up to 250 new jobs in five years.

“The City of Statesville has been extremely supportive of our plans to make further investments in our employee team, facilities, and the community. We look forward to building on the strong relationship we already have with community leaders and our neighbors. This goes beyond expanding our workforce to include our support of education and charitable initiatives that will positively impact the community for decades,”

said Lance Mathern, vice president of Doosan Portable Power.

The hiring plan includes production, manufacturing engineering, and operations positions, all of which offer competitive and comprehensive benefits packages, initial and ongoing training, and the opportunity for career advancement roles.

“Doosan has been at the forefront of our employers investing in programs to inspire young people to develop the goals and skills to be successful in the 21^st century. We look forward to Doosan’s continued success in Iredell County,”

said Chairman James Mallory, Iredell County Board of Commissioners.

In addition to its operations in Statesville, Doosan Bobcat has an extensive presence throughout the U.S. The company employs approximately 4,500 people at 13 facilities in seven states. Among its other U.S. facilities, Doosan Bobcat has engineering, research, and development centers in North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Arizona; a training facility in Colorado; their North American headquarters is in North Dakota; and there are manufacturing facilities in North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Carolina.

Doosan Bobcat continues to increase its manufacturing footprint with investments in facilities across North America, including a recent $26 million expansion at its facility in Litchfield, Minnesota. These efforts are part of Bobcat’s long-term strategic growth initiatives as a global leader in the compact equipment industry, in addition to demonstrating its long-term commitment to employees and communities.

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Cyril Keller, a member of the 1999 induction class to what was then known as the Construction Equipment Hall of Fame (now AEM Hall of Fame) passed away Oct. 28, 2020, in his hometown of Fergus Falls, Minn. at age of 98. Keller was inducted, along with his younger brother Louis (1923-2010), for his development of the first skid steer loader.

The Keller brothers, originally trained as blacksmiths, operated their own machine shop in Rothsay, Minnesota when a farmer friend of theirs said he needed a machine capable of cleaning out stalls in his turkey barns that were light enough to operate on the barn’s upper levels. Their first design of a three-wheel loader eventually developed into a four-wheel loader, and by 1960, after selling the manufacturing rights to Melroe Manufacturing, the first loader would go on sale under the name “Bobcat.”

Keller is survived by two brothers, three sisters, two sons, six daughters, 23 grandchildren, and 17 great-grandchildren.

Helmut Claas, a member of the 2013 induction class of the AEM Hall of Fame passed away on Jan. 5, 2021, at the age of 94. Claas was inducted for his leadership and engineering skills, co-designing Claas’s Dominator (1971) series combine harvesters, Jaguar (1973) series forage harvesters, and Xerion (1978) tractors, the latter two product lines remaining on sale to this day.

Claas was born in 1926 in Harsewinkel, a town in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and 60 miles northeast of the Rhine-Ruhr metro region, and where his namesake company remains headquartered today. However, he never left the farm life, maintaining a farm in the U.K. village of Troston, in Suffolk County, just 90 miles east of London.

The son of company founder August Claas, Helmut started work as a machine fitter apprentice in the 1930s, going on to learn metalworking, metal casting and then studied agriculture in Paris. Claas joined the company headquarters in 1958, at age 32, becoming managing director in 1962. Claas has also been recognized as a Knight of the French Legion of Honor for his efforts toward Franco-German cooperation, the Diesel Medal from the German Institute of Inventors, the Medal of Merit from the German state of Baden-Württemberg, and the Order of Merit from the French Minister of Agriculture.

His daughter, Cathrina Claas-Mühlhäuser, manages decision making and development at Claas today.

The AEM Hall of Fame is currently seeking nominations to its 2021 induction class to join the 65 existing visionaries and leaders already inducted. An independent panel will select who will be recognized at AEM’s Annual Conference, scheduled for Nov. 10-12 in Phoenix.

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AEM members have long relied on Association leaders and staff to provide valuable information and insights on a variety of topics. And, with that fact in mind, AEM is pleased to announce the launch of a Member Education Webinar Series, designed to provide education on industry-related topics, promote member engagement, and highlight Association services.

“Member engagement is the lifeblood of every association. Active, engaged, passionate, and, most importantly, successful members help ensure a bright future for AEM and the equipment manufacturing industry. We’re excited to offer these webinars as part of our ongoing efforts to make sure we’re fulfilling our mission – to be the leading organization in North America enabling equipment manufacturers to be successful in the global marketplace.”

said AEM Director of Education Programs Helen Horner.

The dates and topics of this year’s series of member webinars are as follows, and additional information about the first webinar in the series can be found below:

• April 7 – Workforce Development Organizational Assessment
• April 15 – Autonomy
• May 25 – Cybersecurity
• June 17 – Electrification
• July 15 – Statistics Information and Opportunities for Members
• June 24 – Legislative and Regulatory Updates
• Aug. 5 – Precision Agriculture
• Oct. 14 – Market Intelligence Information and Opportunities for Members
• Dec. 9 – Political Outlook

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The report delivers the analytical elaboration and other industry-linked information in an aim to supply specific and reliable analysis on the global Small Combine Harvester market. The report focuses on market dynamics, growth-driving factors, restraints, and limitations this market is currently facing and is expected to face in the coming years (2020-2025). The report is further divided by company, by country, and by application/types for the competitive landscape analysis. It estimates production chain, manufacturing capacity, sales volume, and revenue.

The report provides a detailed analysis of global market size, regional and country-level market size, segmentation market growth, market share, competitive landscape, sales analysis, the impact of domestic and global market players. It contains advanced information associated with the global Small Combine Harvester market status, trends analysis, segment, and forecasts from 2020-2025. It explains market scenarios, comparative pricing between major players, cost, and profit of the specified market regions.

NOTE: This report takes into account the current and future impacts of COVID-19 on this industry and offers you an in-dept analysis of Small Combine Harvester market.

Key Players’ Analysis

The report analyzes the top manufacturers, exporters, and retailers (if applicable) around the world concerning their company profile, product portfolio, capacity, price, cost, and revenue. For competitor segment, the report covers the following global Small Combine Harvester market key players and some other small players: AGCO, Same Deutz-Fahr, John Deere, KUHN, Kverneland, Kubota, Cockshutt, CLAAS, Case IH, New Holland, Sampo Rosenlew.

In market segmentation by types, the report covers: Self – propelled Wheel Type Full Feed Combine Harvester, Self – propelled Crawler Type Full Feed Combine Harvester, Self – propelled Crawler Semi – feed Combine Harvesters, Suspended Combine Harvester,

In market segmentation by applications, the report covers the following uses: Wheat Harvesting, Rice Harvesting, Soybeans Harvesting, Others.

Regionally, this report focuses on several key regions: North America (United States, Canada and Mexico), Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia and Australia), South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia), Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)

Moreover, the report exhaustively investigates business opportunities, market scope, threats, and barriers. The report aims to help companies in strategizing their decisions in a better way and finally attains their business goals. The research answers important business questions like how the global Small Combine Harvester market will perform in the existing market scenario. It also presents the potential industry supply, market demand, market value, market competition, key market players, and the industry estimate from 2020-2025.

Important Key Questions Answered In The Market Report

• What will the market growth rate, overview, and analysis by type of Small Combine Harvester in 2025?
• What are the key factors affecting market dynamics? What are the drivers, challenges, and business risks in the market?
• What is dynamics, this overview includes analysis of scope and price analysis of top manufacturers’ profiles?
• Who are the opportunities, risks, and driving forces of the market? Knows upstream raw materials sourcing and downstream buyers.
• Who are the key manufacturers in space? Business overview by type, applications, gross margin, and market share
• What are the opportunities, threats, faced by manufacturers in the global Small Combine Harvester market?

Source: Researchstore.biz

The post Global Small Combine Harvester Market with (COVID-19) Impact Analysis: Growth, Latest Trend Analysis and Forecast 2025 appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.